The Rest of the 2009 Books

Now that it is March of 2010, I'm finally getting around to posting about the books I finished in 2009. I last caught up on a bunch of them in August, and have been posting in the side bar the rest. So first the entire list, followed by comments on those not in the previous posting.

Books Read in 2009
• Brain Plague by Joan Slonczewski
• The Postman (Il Postino) by Antonio Skármeta
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
• Delights & Shadows by Ted Kooser
• The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain
• The Exile and the Sorcerer by Jane Fletcher, Lyremouth Chronicles: Book One
• The Black Ship by Diana Pharaoh Francis
• Dervish Daughter by Sheri S. Tepper
• Fiddler's Green by Ernest Gann
• Storm Front by Jim Butcher, Book One of the Dresden Files
• Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris, the first Lily Bard Mystery
• Idaho Code by Joan Opyr
• Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
• Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
• Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews, a Kate Daniels Novel
• The Traitor and the Chalice by Jane Fletcher, Lyremouth Chronicles: Book Two
• Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs, an Alpha and Omega Novel
• The Empress and the Acolyte by Jane Fletcher, Lyremouth Chronicles: Book Three
• Excuse Me, Sir ... Your Socks Are On Fire; The Life and Times of a Wilderness Park Ranger in the Adirondack Mountains by Larry Weill
• From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris, a Sookie Stackhouse Novel
• When the King Comes Home by Caroline Stevermer
• Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs, an Alpha and Omega Novel
• Child of a Dead God by Barb & J.C. Hendee, A Novel of the Noble Dead


The Traitor and the Chalice by Jane Fletcher
Lyremouth Chronicles: Book Two
and
The Empress and the Acolyte by Jane Fletcher
Lyremouth Chronicles: Book Three
I started reading this fantasy series in the summer (see the review of the 1st one here) and decided to go ahead and read the other two. A pair of people falling in love under sudden circumstances (in book 1) are bound to have a time of adjustment. And if that weren't conflict enough, the stories that the warrior told of the missing chalice led the sorcerers to the conclusion that it was dangerous to have loose in the world. So now the promise the warrior had made to look for it for her island village (as an excuse to leave with dignity) was now a task she was forced to take on for real. Book two was a quick read. Book three ended up being a bit tedious with one of the main characters out of commission a good portion of the time, and the other being just generally in a sad, bad mood. The book included a section at the end written as a story - a fable really - passed down through the ages. As you read, you realize that the fable is a version of the novel you just read, but told through the eyes of someone not completely in the know, mixed with what must be local lore. Quite entertaining. All in all, I'm glad I read the series, but I probably won't re-read them (something I do with books I love).


Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
an Alpha and Omega Novel
A new fantasy novel about modern werewolves, and one in particular. Alpha Wolf is a well-known concept, but this explores the Omega Wolf. Everyone (including her) thinks she is the opposite of Alpha, the most submissive of submissives. But everyone is wrong. I like her and I like this book and am looking forward to more of them.


Excuse Me, Sir ... Your Socks Are On Fire; The Life and Times of a Wilderness Park Ranger in the Adirondack Mountains by Larry Weill
True-life stories of the times the author spent walking the miles and miles and miles of trails in the Adirondack woods, as a ranger and observer of the people you find there. Contained some chuckles and some outright laughs for me. It was an impulse buy I didn't regret.


From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
a Sookie Stackhouse Novel
Book 8 in the series was one I liked (better than the last one). Sookie has had ENOUGH of being pressured/blackmailed by the vampires. But she also hasn't heard from her new boyfriend in far too long. This book doesn't go anywhere much, but does introduce a new spin on Sookie's family history.


When the King Comes Home by Caroline Stevermer
In the cities and the country, the saying was "when the King comes home..." yet there was a difference between saying it and seeing it. The King has, after all, been dead for generations. The young apprentice finds the man wandering a bit befuddled by the river and is then caught up in a political struggle, a war, and witchery. All the while, she wants to be true to her art, unless her soft heart will let her stray from that goal.


Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
an Alpha and Omega Novel
The second book in this fantasy series was even better than the first. Now that she knows more about what she is, the Omega in the book is more fun to follow.


Child of a Dead God by Barb & J.C. Hendee
A Novel of the Noble Dead
My love/hate relationship with this series continues, as does the series. The mixed band of adventurers has new information, but still not enough. And the enemy (at least the one they know about) is still plotting and getting more unstable while he's at it. I keep wishing that there would be a bit more action - like wishing that the 2-hour tv movie was condensed to a brisker half-hour show. I like the characters (when they aren't being too self centered and/or peevish that I want to just smack them) but if the proverbial "other shoe" doesn't drop soon... Well I'll probably keep reading anyway.

I'll start catching up on the 2010 books soon.